First let me say that understanding the Golden Ratio is a Mind Trip in and of itself. I guarantee that you could spend hours and hours reading and learning about this concept. It is not an easy concept to wrap your brain around and some say that it goes beyond math and science into spirituality and belief. I will briefly touch on the Golden Ratio in this article, but there is a lot more information if you would like to continue the study on your own.
The Golden Ratio, or Phi, = 1.61803398875…(an irrational number with an infinite number of digits) is also called the Divine Proportion. Without getting too much into the math behind the Golden Ratio, what you need to know that when you divide a line in a special way, when the ratio of the large piece to the small piece is exactly the same as the ratio of the whole line to the large piece, this point is the Golden Ratio of both is 1.618 to 1, or Phi.
The very fascinating and astonishing thing is that the Golden Ratio can be found in so many things – nature, architecture, art, mathematics, astronomy, animals, and yes humans – specifically our faces. The question is, does the Golden Ratio give us beauty?
The Parthenon has this ratio within its structure. So does the Taj Mahal. Is this why we are so compelled by their beauty?
Take a look at the Koala bear’s face, or the distance of the spots on the moth’s wings, or the spiral pattern on the sunflower. When calculating out the ratio, they come to 1.618.
“Some would argue that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but there is sound basis in scientific study and evidence to support that what we perceive as beauty in both men and women is based on how closely the proportions of facial and body dimensions come to Phi. It seems that Phi is hard-wired into our consciousness as a guide to beauty. For this reason, Phi is applied in both facial plastic surgery and cosmetic dentistry as a guide to achieving the most natural and beautiful results in facial features and appearance.” (images and quote by Gary Meisner from http://www.goldennumber.net/golden-ratio/)
Dr. Stephen Marquardt spent many years doing research on finding the perfect face. As a plastic surgeon, he believes that the Golden Ratio is the key to this. Below is what he calls his “Phi mask” that can be used to make a persons face fit the dimensions for perfect beauty. You can even download this mask to see how close you are this perfect ideal.
I found a really cool video on YouTube about this. You have to watch this. The Photoshop Surgeon uses photoshop, a girls face, and the above mask to change the proportions of her face to be closer to the Golden Ratio. Watch the video and tell me what you think. Is she more beautiful when she is close to the Golden Ratio? Click on the picture below to get to the video.
I have only scratched the surface of the Golden Rule. For more information, use the sources below. And most important – have fun!
http://www.goldennumber.net/beauty/
http://www.math.temple.edu/~reich/Fib/fibo.html
http://www.mathsisfun.com/numbers/nature-golden-ratio-fibonacci.htm